Although this was the perilous world of pirates, most people their age hadn't even held a proper weapon before, let alone risked their lives in a real battle.
Yet the guy standing in front of them—the one they had dismissed as a mere "nepotism case"—looked completely harmless, even appearing disabled when he first boarded the ship. But the number of lives he'd taken was higher than most full-fledged Marines!
Now that the rookie Marines had learned Wood's "true identity," they were deeply relieved. Back on the ship, they had refrained from provoking him only because they assumed he was under Zephyr's protection. If they had actually picked a fight with this killer…
After Zephyr's overly enthusiastic praise, Wood clearly felt the way others looked at him had changed. His own face was twisted into a bitter grimace.
This wasn't the image he'd wanted to cultivate at all! He needed to fix this and make everyone see him differently!
"Admiral Zephyr's compliments are really too much. I'm just a kid. How could I possibly kill a pirate with a bounty of twenty million Berries?"
"The pirate crew was taken down with help from the townspeople. As for that pirate captain, he was already badly wounded. I was just lucky enough to land the final blow."
Compared to Zephyr's praise, Wood's explanation sounded far more reasonable.
After all, he was only sixteen. Pirates weren't made of wood, and it was genuinely hard to believe that such a sunny-faced teenager could slaughter pirates like he was slicing melons.
"But even if what you said is true, even if you just landed the final blow, the fact that you dared to kill so many pirates at your age is already remarkable."
"If Zephyr thinks so highly of you, then let me see for myself whether you really have the guts he says you do."
Before Wood could react, the moment Garp finished speaking, he felt a powerful aura engulf his entire being.
And the source of that pressure was none other than the Marine hero, Monkey D. Garp!
As a Vice Admiral—and a legendary hero of the Marines—Garp was actually taking a fresh recruit seriously!
Garp didn't possess Conqueror's Haki. What he was using now wasn't Haki at all.
But after years of bloody battles at sea, even without Conqueror's Haki, Garp possessed a fearsome presence.
Right now, the oppressive force covering Wood wasn't actual Haki, but rather Garp's overwhelming aura and killing intent.
And since that kind of pressure couldn't be selectively directed, when Garp released his killing intent, everyone around him felt it.
Seeing Garp being so reckless, Zephyr immediately stepped forward, shielding the new recruits with his large frame and blocking the crushing pressure with his own aura.
Unfortunately for Wood, he wasn't so lucky.
Because he'd been called out earlier, he was standing closest to Garp—and therefore bore the full brunt of the killing intent.
Also unlucky was Rear Admiral Kadaru, who stood only a few paces behind and was now getting caught in the blast radius as well.
Some people said Garp was kind and friendly, but Wood had his doubts. This was the same guy who once threw his under-ten grandson into the wilderness. How kind could he really be?
The killing intent surged forward like a tidal wave, and Wood felt his body instantly plunge into an icy abyss.
There was nothing physically pressing on him, but his shoulders felt unimaginably heavy. The immense pressure blurred his vision and made his legs shake involuntarily.
Every pore of his body screamed danger, alerting him at a primal level.
It was like the natural suppression a predator exerts over its prey. As a living creature, Wood's instincts told him he was in the presence of something terrifying. His brain registered the threat, and his nerves passed the message to every part of his body.
Garp hadn't moved. He stood just as before, calmly popping rice crackers into his mouth.
But in Wood's eyes, Garp had become a towering mountain—vast, unfathomable.
The pressure bent Wood's body forward. As the weight grew harder to bear, Wood even considered giving up—just collapsing to the ground. That would fit the low-key persona he wanted to maintain, anyway.
But something told him that if he gave in now, he'd never progress on the path of the sword. Becoming a true "swordsman" would remain a distant dream.
The way of the sword was a journey where one either advanced or fell behind. Only by challenging the strong could one's skill and spirit grow. Just like how Zoro challenged Mihawk, and Mihawk once challenged Whitebeard.
It was okay to be timid in daily life, but right now—if he backed down—Wood felt he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
His back was soaked with cold sweat. The floor beneath him had two deep indentations from where his feet struggled to hold ground. Yet despite this, the bend in his knees grew deeper and deeper.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness from the almost tangible pressure, Zephyr finally stepped in.
"Garp, that's enough. The kid's only just recovered from his injuries. You'll cause a relapse if you keep this up."
The pressure vanished as quickly as it had come. The suffocating aura withdrew like a receding tide, and Wood collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
He hadn't even moved a muscle in battle, yet he felt more drained now than when he'd fought Iron Arm Cook.
In just a few minutes, his body and mind were completely exhausted.
"Well damn, the kid's got some guts. He actually stayed conscious under my pressure."
"With that kind of backbone—never mind his current strength—I can say for sure this kid's got a bright future ahead of him."
Still gasping for breath on the ground, Wood looked completely baffled.
From his perspective, his performance had been utterly pathetic. Why would someone like Garp praise him so highly?
Seeing his confusion, Garp chuckled and nodded toward something behind him.
Would you like me to continue with Chapter 16 as well?